The Effect of Web 2.0 Supported Social Studies on the Digital Literacy Skills of Secondary School Students

Abstract

The focus of this study is to investigate the effects of using Web 2.0 tools in the social studies "Global Connections" learning area on students' digital literacy levels. A quasi-experimental model was used and 38, seventh graders participated the research. The digital literacy scale, created by Ng (2012) and translated into Turkish by Hamutoğlu, Güngören, Kaya-Uyanık, and Gür-Erdoğan (2017) was employed for data collection. Pre-testing was carried out using the digital literacy test. Courses were imparted according to the current curriculum in the control group and through Web 2.0 tools to the experimental throughout the application. For the experimental group, WordArt, StoryJumper, Canva, YouTube and Renderforest were used in the teaching of learning outcomes, along with Edmodo, which also allowed students interacting with teacher and among themselves outside the classroom. Then a digital literacy test was administered as a post-test. The SPSS 23 package application was used to examine the obtained data. Ultimately, it was determined that the experimental group's digital literacy skills differed statistically significantly from the control group. It is thought that this research, which is limited to the seventh grade "Global Connections" learning area, should be conducted at different learning areas, levels and results should be evaluated.